Apple CEO Tim Cook has been asked many times about what makes him or anyone successful for that matter. His answer is as follows;

Do what you love

Jobs are usually seen as a means to an end to enable us to do the things we like but wouldn’t it be better to get paid to do the things we like. Cook says your purpose is what you can’t help but keep doing. Even if there are low monetary rewards, you would probably do it anyway because of your love for it. When you discover that it is for you, you come alive.

“Don’t work for money – it will wear out fast, or you’ll never make enough and you will never be happy, one or the other,” said Cook to students at the University of Glasgow.

“You have to find the intersection of doing something you’re passionate about and at the same time something that is in service of other people. I would argue that, if you don’t find that intersection, you’re not going to be very happy in life.”

“There’s a big difference between whether you fall in love with some work that is just for profits or revenues versus work that is in the service of others. And so I feel very strongly about that,” Tim Cook emphasized.

Tim Cook: Don’t forget to have fun

Here’s another important point by the Apple CEO. Don’t take yourself too seriously at times. What does having fun entail?

Having fun is about creating opportunities to know your colleagues and customers on a deeper level and connecting with others in the spirit of a community creating lasting friendships along the way.

Ethics and integrity

Speaking at the Gallaudet University in Washington DC in May he advised fresh graduates to make decisions based more on their moral compass than any other decision-making metric. He said that following your internal code of ethics and focusing on causes you feel drawn to is the best way to reach success – both in and outside of the workplace.

Since the majority of students at the University were suffering from deafness and were hard and hearing and his speech was also translated by the American Sign Language association.

“I know in my heart: Staying true to who you are and what you believe is one of the most important choices you can make. It will help you form better relationships. It will help you find more satisfaction in your work. And with a little luck and a lot of effort, it will help you build a more meaningful life.”

He said that in order to do that, it was important to have a “deep understanding of who you are and what you believe.”

“When you imagine your future… the question you should ask is not, ‘What will happen? But ‘Who will I be when it does? I hope you will be kind and compassionate… I hope you will see there is wonder in being part of something bigger than yourself. And magic to be found in the service of others.”